| Irai began to wake up slowly, moaning and groaning as she tossed and turned in the bed. The bed moved a little as she did, but it didn't bother her one bit. She didn't want to get up from under the covers which kept her nice and cozy on the bed. But she had to get up, for she had to train hard and become strong so she would complete the rite of passing. The rite of passing! Irai thought to herself. She forced herself to wake up as she pushed the covers off of her. It was then that she noticed that she was wearing a buttoned up long sleeve shirt made with a strange pattern. She marveled the sleeves as she sat herself up, but as she did, the bed began to shift uncontrolably from under her. She froze in panic, fearing that some sort of demon took over the bed, but as she remained still, the bed slowly calmed down until it occasionally shifted from under her. It was then when she began to look around. The room she was in was a light, almost sky colored blue. On the ground around and under the bed, white carpet covered the floor while fancy cabinents were nearby, no doubt holding the clothes and other possessions the person who lived here valued. As she continued to look around, she noticed some personal possessions of the person that were no doubt toys, but toys of what she could not tell. Irai started to think back on how she got here. She first thought of the test, then the light, then finally the lone blonde human who had saved her life no doubt by defending her. She remembered hearing his name, but as she tried, she could not remember his name at all. I must have been in bad shape if I'm having such a hard time remembering most of the details of the fight, she thought to herself. At that moment, the blonde haired human entered, a cup in hand as he noticed that she was awake. At first Irai admired the one who had saved her, but then she cursed herself for being so weak as to need protection. From a human too. They would not let me live the moment down either back home. He took a seat on a chair next to her as she began to lose herself in thought. Home. She had no clue where she was or where to go. Irai didn't know if she was even a slave, but the fact that she was with the one that saved her gave her hope that she was still free. But her new problem would be getting back home to her clan. Irai's hands reached for her ankles, but she felt nothing. Weaponless too, just my luck. The human extended the cup to her, the smile still on his face. "Drink some tea, it will do you some good right now." She hesitated for a moment, staring at the cup of tea in his hand. It took her some time before she began to take the cup away from him, but after she did she took a small sip. The rush of tastes caused her eyes to widen as well as her ears to perk up. The sweetness of the tea woke her up, but the taste of milk in the tea as well as her thirst caused her to drink it up quickly. "Do you want more?" he asked. Irai shook her head, handing the cup back to him as she lied back down. Her thoughts became focused on why he was so nice to her. It seemed rather odd because most of her kind were slaves to his kind. The masters would beat and rape their slaves as they saw fit, sometimes just because they were angry. Rumors of the occasional nice slave owner passed through her tribe, but Irai could not see why those nice slave owners would let their slaves sleep in their beds while the master would serve the slave. She stared at the ceiling, deep in thought for a while before his words broke the silence. "How are you feeling, Irai?" "I'm okay, I think," was all she could muster to say in reply as she refocused on him. He watched her carefully as she reached down to her thigh where she was scratched in her fight, but all she could feel were the bandages wrapped around her leg. It puzzled her even further as her hand felt the bandages, tracing it around her thigh absent-mindedly. Finally, her curiousity broke her will. "Why are you helping me anyway? He sighed, standing up and turning his back to her, gazing outside through the small window in his room. Irai wondered what was running through his mind as well as why. Time seemed to float by slowly to her as he remained silent. After what seemed to be an eternity, he walked to the door, stopping short of leaving the room before he turned his gaze back to her. "I really can't explain it, other than because you seemed unable to protect yourself at the time and you needed my help. I really don't like either of them anyway, so it kinda let a little steam out of the system. Otherwise you can just call me crazy for helping you out." Irai smiled at him but mentally punched herself in the face. You needed my help was all she could think of now. As she thought to herself, his name popped into her mind as he began to leave the room. "Ren?" "Yes?" he asked back. "Thank you," was all she could say with a smile. " Get some more rest. You need it. If you need anything else, I'll be inside the house, so just look for me. And when I say anything, I do mean anything I can do for you." Irai watched as Ren walked out of the room, leaving the door behind him at open at a crack. She sighed to herself, wishing that she was back at home. Irai still couldn't understand her present situation one bit, save for the fact that Ren had defended her. All she wished for was that this would be just one giant dream that she would wake up from soon. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Irai gazed out of the window at the night sky from the bed, sipping away at her cup of tea. Ren had waited her on hand and foot for the day as she pleased, but being respectful, she did not abuse her priviledge. She spent most of her time in thought, but occasionally she would talk with Ren. He would ask her questions about what happened to her and where she is from, but when Irai responded he looked rather confused. Then Ren explained his confusion to her. The world, he called it, was Earth, not Aellia or a few of the other references she had hear around the tribe. He also told her that her people do no exist in the world, save her right now. The concept of being on a different world than her own world frightened her, because she knew that she could not return to her family or her tribe if she ever wanted to. As Ren entered the room, she broke away from thought once again, gazing at his human form. He shut the door behind him before he stretched and yawned. Ren reached into his closet shortly after, pulling out a sleeping bag and a pillow and arranging a sleeping spot right next to the bed. Then he began to remove his shirt, but realized that she was with him and stopped, smiling at her. "Good night." He started to lay down when she remembered that she was in his bed. She didn't want him to be uncomfortable because of her. Irai didn't want to be pampered while Ren would suffer. "I don't want you to be on the floor while I take your bed, Ren." She saw his head from over the edge of the bed. Ren shook his head for a moment before he began speaking again. "I don't mind. Not to mention that I would prefer to have you in the bed than on the floor." Without thinking, she blurted out, "Then you can share it with me." Ren blinked at her for a moment, almost amazed that she would ask him something like it. Irai blushed, but was certain that he could not see her blush from under her fur. She felt so embarrassed for asking him to share a bed with her. But what embarrased her even more was his next question. "Are you sure?" At that moment, she wished she had kept her mouth shut. Irai was happy that she had fur at that moment, because if she didn't, Ren would have seen how red she had become. Her mouth stumbled for a response as she thought of a good answer to his question. "I... aah...... well...." "Good night." was all he said before he laid down again before turning off the lights in the room. Irai sighed in relief as she started blankly at the ceiling. She felt somewhat guilty for taking his bed, but Irai didn't want to be on the floor herself. Her sense of pride told her that she wouldn't accept any more of the kind treatment from him, but as she continued thinking, she felt her pride weaken to fear. Fear of a new world. Fear of no return to her tribe. It was a fear that was new to her, and a fear she had yet to conquer. Before she had faced her fear and beaten it, and she wanted to beat this one like the rest, but her lack of knowledge kept her fear strong. She did not know what she would face now, and she felt powerless because of it. Her thoughts were cut off by sound of Ren shifting in his sleeping bag. She looked over the edge of the bed to see him rolling around in his sleep. Irai started to worry about Ren and why he shifted like he did. Irai began to wonder what troubled Ren. |