Luna whimpered as the sweating girl frowned in her sleep. The wolf thought those noisy nightmares were finally over. Or at least, not as intense as they used to be. The human slept a lot, which wasn’t good for her, but at least it was not a very eventful (on the wolf’s part) sleep. Now, the girl slept a lot and looked very very uncomfortable doing it. Luna stopped laying so close to the girl, afraid she would burn even hotter with the wolf’s furry body next to her form. Earlier, while the girl ran to the restroom, the wolf smelled bile too. Something was wrong and the wolf knew it. Luna could smell it in the girl’s scent. It was off, but the wolf recognized this smell from somewhere. Ah yes… It was reminiscent of the other person’s scent. The one who led his former master’s group.

Jinki knocked on her door. “I just want to say thank you for the food the other day. I know I’m a little late but I just slept like a rock for like two days after eating it. I feel better now. I’m going to head out now so bye…”

Jinki turned to leave, not expecting a response really but stopped when he heard yipping and whimpering from Luna. He looked confusingly at the door before calling her name. He called louder and Luna started scratching the door. The girl woke up but a headache pounded her brain. “I don’t mean to bother you before you’re ready, but do you think you can let Luna out?” She sat up and groaned. He heard and called her name louder. The wolf whimpered. “Sorry to command you, but please open the door.” Even though her stiff body protested, the girl got up and moved towards the door. Her head even hurt too much to feel a high degree of fear.

As Onew watched the door open, he saw her tired face looking at him with a hint of wariness and distrust. Before she could yell, scream, cry, slam the door in his face, or anything else he imagined, she fell into his arms. He stumbled back, not expecting that at all. With her weight in his arms, his hands felt her skin and he immediately became concerned. “You have a fever!” He panicked and almost dropped her because of it. Quickly gathering himself, he picked her up bridal style and pushed past a very attentive Luna who nipped his ankles in warning. Onew jumped a little and looked back at the wolf for a brief moment before continuing into the room and putting her on the bed.

“Oh my god! What’s wrong with you? What do I do? Oh my god...”
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Taemin took time off, using H1N1 as an excuse too, and used the time to take care of the girl. As he squeezed water from the towel and placed it on her forehead, he kept on glancing at Luna who was eyeing him closely. It was weird, having the wolf that he had raised from a small pup giving him warning glares.

He yawned, tired from his busy schedule and having taken care of the girl all night. He almost laid his head on his forearms that rested on the bed beside the girl’s pillow, but the wolf growled at him. Taemin looked at it with surprise before backing off and sitting in a wooden chair across the room. Even while paper pale, she still looked like an angel to him. He put his elbow on his knee and propped his head on his hand, just watching her sleep. He didn’t know how long he stared at her, but sometime during it, he dozed off.

She groggily opened her eyes and felt her forehead, feeling something on it. Pulling a damp white cloth into her vision, she blinked a few times before slowly surveying her room. Taemin sat uncomfortably sleeping in a chair besides the wall. She sat up and almost fell back onto the bed when her head felt like a haze descended upon it. For a few seconds, she just held her head. Luna jumped onto her bed and the back of her hand. The girl ran her hand once through the thick fur before she looked back towards the younger (well, legally at least) occupant of the room. When did he get here? How long was he here and why didn’t she notice? Why didn’t Luna keep him away? On the bedside table, a bowl of clear water stood still along with another neatly folded towel. She felt her forehead that was warmer than it should have been. So she was sick then? Well, she wasn’t surprised by the way she felt right now.

‘Was he taking care of me?’ she watched Taemin’s still form for a few minutes before pushing the blanket off of her and swinging her legs off the bed. She moved slowly as her body protested to the movements. When was the last time she was even up? Her limbs felt heavy as she tried to stand. Just as she was thinking about the dead weight of her limbs, her legs fell out from under her. The sound woke Taemin and he blinked twice before taking in the fallen form of the girl and rushing to help her.

“Are you alright! Be careful. You’ve been out for a few days.” He held her upper arm gently, not sure whether she wanted his help in pulling her up. She stayed on the ground for a while breathing in and out slowly and looking at the floor. “You got H1N1 I think. Well, most likely because stupid Onew had to come here to spread his germs around.”

‘So that’s why I feel so bad? Is that why my whole body hurts?’ She neither accepted nor rejected the boy’s contact. ‘H1N1? Yes…that must be why it hurts so much…’ She’d never felt this must physical distress in her life. That, combined with her mental stress made it even worse. She took a few more slow breaths, but instead of getting easier, each exhale came out less smoothly. Her upper body started to shake, and Taemin became alarmed. “What’s the matter?!”

She whispered something but even with ears that most animals would envy, he couldn’t make out what she said. “What?”

“…It…hurts…”

“What?”

‘It hurts…’ Her eyes started to wet. She fisted her hand and put pushed it against her chest. The other hand gripped her upper arm hard. Taemin’s hand just happened to be under it. “…It…hurts…” Her voice cracked as tears spilled over the rim of her eyes.

Luna’s ears perked and the canine bristled its fur at Taemin. “Hey! I didn’t do anything!” The wolf was about to drive the boy away but was surprised to find that the human suddenly twisted her body to cry into Taemin’s shirt. The boy was equally, if not more, startled at the sudden change in position. She kept on mumbling her pain into his shirt while he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. They stayed in that position for a long while. Both forms on the floor, Taemin leaning against the bed while holding the girl that eventually fell into a feverish sleep. He pulled part of the comforter off the bed and draped it over both of them before just treasuring her contact.

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THEA's Corner <3

Why do I always procrastinate so much? I have a paper due in less than 24 hours that I have hardly started, and instead of working on it, I'm posting up a chapter >.<
Ugh. Oh well. It can't be helped :P
Subscribers much thankful for. Comments much appreciated. Feedback much anticipated.
See you!

Posted: 11 Oct 2010
Approx. <2 pages.