Forgotten

Walk | Talk | Think

The cat too flinched as Callisto made her outburst, but unlike Jakart she remained silent. She caught his eye again as she stood off to the side, away but still a part of the group, and only shook her head minutely when he seemed to silently ask for her input. Don't ask. Whether he understood or not, she could not say, though she could see plain as day that her mistress was in a really rough spot. Whatever the healer had thought to find here was obviously missing, and it must have been considerably important given her reaction. Maybe she should set off herself and try to find something that might be of use, no matter that her plant knowledge was minimal and completely untrained. There had to be something that could be done.

Jakart had a similar idea, though unlike the cat he voiced his concerns and ideas aloud in an attempt to be helpful, but overall they went ignored. The moment Callisto felt his foreleg reach up and around her back, she tensed, her shoulders hunching upward and her body growing rigid. No. This was not what she wanted. She did not want his pity or his concern, she did not want him to show any consideration for her at all. She wanted him to stay away, to be left alone with her grief and guilt so she could find a way to deal with it on her own. She needed no one, was capable of shouldering the weight of her life without help, and just the possibility of having that burden lessened by the kindness of someone else made her feel incompetent and weak.

But... Slowly, with a visible and tangible hesitation, the tension began to ease from her frame and she settled into his embrace. Perhaps she still had some options available to her for consideration. It was wrong of her to think as she did, to entertain the idea of seeking Jakart's distraction another time, and particularly given the fact she was still unsure whether he had begun to harbor feelings for her that were keeping him around. But, beneath her self-reliance, she was curious what it might be like to let someone else take the role of healer for a change and be healed in turn - and, if not healed, then at least given a time to forget what ailed her in the first place. Callisto drew her eyes up and away from the plants that still lay scattered at the base of the tree to glance sidelong at Jak from the corner of her eye. How badly might he misunderstand her sentiments toward him if she suggested it? Would the temporary benefits be worth the after effects?

With nothing else to turn to, she turned to him, reaching out to press her cheek into his chest and breathing in deeply his scent. Brothers and a hunt for a plant. No, she did not want to draw others in. Only him. She shifted, turning slightly so that she could press her face into his neck, and after a moment placed a tender kiss there. She lifted her head, letting her muzzle travel the length of his neck as she tried to persuade him, offering another kiss and a nip against his jaw when her eyes finally met his. There was still a visible distress in them, her condition too severe to hide, that pleaded in its own way for respite. "Take me," she commanded - begged - as she looked into his face, her voice no more than a whisper. She hoped he would; she hoped he would allow her to forget her problems for a while.