Intimancer

Thoughts of quenching his thirst by guzzling down handfuls of water quickly fled Rick’s mind as he half slid, half tumbled down the steep embankment to the person lying face down below him.  “Hey! Hey! Are you still alive?!” He loudly said as he gingerly shook a pair of slim shoulders.  Probably not the best way to wake a potentially injured person, but Rick’s mind was in too much turmoil to register that fact.

A slight groan escaped from below him and slowly they rolled over before their eyes started to flutter open.  “Ugh… who? What happened?”  A husky but feminine voice croaked out as deep brown eyes flecked with a rich green began to focus on him.  

“I was wandering around and found you lying in the dirt.  Are you hurt anywhere?  Is there anything I can do to help?” Rick said softly while trying to put every ounce of sincerity into his gaze as he met hers.

“I think I am fine, just sore… all ov-'' Shortly after answering him her senses fully came back online.  Her eyes roved over Rick’s body as her mind began to catch up with her mouth.  Suddenly everything clicked and she practically jumped out of his arms and backed herself against the earth wall behind her.  “Who are you!? And why are you NAKED!?”

“I’m naked? Well so are-” And that’s when the reality of the situation also hit Rick like an eighteen wheeler.  The woman, and there was no doubt in his mind anymore that this was certainly a woman, was indeed just as exposed as he was.  He was so focused on helping a potential person in need that the simple fact that there wasn’t a scrap of clothing between them completely passed his mind.

His man brain quickly caught up to the situation and he gave the young woman a quick once over.  Her skin was a rich brown with her face and limbs similar to dark chocolate with her tan lightening like adding cream to coffee when he looked at her torso.  Her hair was jet black and so curly that it looked like there were two puff balls on top of her head where she had her hair tied back into buns.  She was the very definition of petite, with slender and delicate looking limbs, and almost no body fat that Rick could see.  Her narrow waist led up her chest where just the slightest hint of breasts stood proudly in the cool forest air.

“What are you talking ab–” She began before her own mind caught up to the situation and she looked down to see her lady parts proudly on display.  And then she started to scream.

“eeeeEEEEEEEEKK!” It was like her voice started off low then swiftly ramped up to an ear piercing level.  Unable to back away any further with an earthen wall already at her bare back she tucked in a pseudo fetal position where her arms and legs could block any further view of her naughty bits.

“Why am I naked?!” She screeched again.

“How am I supposed to know?!” Rick retorted “I just found you like this a minute ago!”

“Why are you naked then?” She clapped back.

“I don’t know either!”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Rick forced himself to take a deep breath.  This woman was obviously scared and confused.  It wouldn’t do either of them favors to keep a panicked shouting match going.  He took one more deep breath to steady himself before he raised his hands in a placating gesture and tried his best to smile.

“Hi, my name is Rick.  I don’t know where I am or how I got here.  Last thing I remember was saying goodbye to my family and going on a trip. The next thing I knew, I found myself here stripped of anything personal, including my clothes.”  He had to admit after saying it all out loud, this was indeed a strange moment.  Hopefully the truth of the matter wouldn’t be too far fetched for this young woman to believe him.

“Now,” He said, trying his best to move the conversation into a more productive avenue “As I said, I just found you like this.  What was the last thing you remember before I came along?”  Hopefully she could tell him something.  It would be really crazy if there was a group of people who just kidnaped people, took away their recent memories, stripped them, then dumped them in random places in a forest.  Who would do that?

“I - I’m- my name Sade” The now named Sade stammered out.  She closed her eyes and adopted a look of intense concentration.  “I remember entering this forest in a small caravan.  When things got dark we made camp by a river.  Yes! Then I remember wanting to take a bath so I got ready and then swam in the river to get myself clean.”  With each new sentence Sade’s voice became stronger and more confident.  Rick was relieved that she didn’t seem to have experienced the same yawning void in her memories like he did.

“And then, and then I heard strange sounds mixed with shouting.” She continued “I was on the opposite shore and when I walked around to see what was going on…” she trailed off, her eyes wide with fear “We were being attacked!  Those… things chased me.  I remember running through the trees, unable to see in the dark, and then I remember falling.”

Rick looked up to the small cliff carved out of the hill behind her, the pieces of what happened quickly falling into place. “And after you got knocked out from the fall, I came along and found you.” He finished for her.

She nodded.  Rick stood up and offered his hand to the woman curled up in front of him.  “Okay.  Let’s see if we can get you back to the caravan.  They may have survived the attack and I don’t think either of us wants to stay bare assed for any longer than we have to.”

Tentatively, she grasped his proffered hand and he helped her back to her feet. He was conscious enough to only look at her face as she stood in front of him.  Rick took note that the woman’s head topped off just above his nose, making her one of the few women he didn’t look right in the eye or even up to.  He secretly relished the experience.

He coughed. “Um, yeah, so is there anyplace sore?  Anything broken?”

Sade closed her eyes and seemed to go through a mental checklist.  Her eyes soon opened back up and she replied “A little bruised and a few cuts here and there but otherwise I am fine.”

Rick gave a smile at the news then turned to the stream behind them.  “I don’t know about you but I haven’t had any water since I got here.  Let's grab a drink then head out.”  He looked over his shoulder “Do you think you can find your way back?”  She closed her eyes again then gave a firm nod as a reply.  “Great!” He said “It would suck to get even more lost in this place than I already am.”

Bending over, Rick scooped up as much water as his cupped hands could carry and swiftly brought the cool liquid to his lips.  Instantly he felt relief.  The dull ache of thirst that had been plaguing his mind and body for the past day slowly died down to nothing.  He quickly finished the first handful and promptly went in for a second.  A voice in the back of his head warned him to pace himself, too much water was just as bad as not enough.  He sensed Sade kneel down next to him and also reach for the refreshing liquid.

“Um, Rick, was it?”  She asked after drinking her fill

“Yes?” He said softly.

“I, uh.  I guess I should thank you.  For helping me that is.”

Rick shook his head.  “I haven’t helped you much just yet.”  He gave a slight shrug “And if we meet up with your group then you will be the one helping me greatly.”  He stood back up and Sade gave a slight yelp before her dusky cheeks began to darken.

Rick gave a yelp of his own and used his free hand to cup his groin and turn to the side.  Once again the fact that both of them were as bare as newborn babes slipped from his mind, and now he was waving his junk right in the face of a poor woman.  How did he get used to being naked so quickly?  He was barely holding on to the frayed edges of his sanity as is.

“Okay, um, yeah, let’s go.” He stammered before walking away stiffly. He turned and saw Sade was following behind, a slight smile on her admittedly cute face. “Oh yeah, here!” He called out before tossing the spear to her. “I’ll go and make another for myself real quick.  You were attacked already and I want us to be as prepared as possible.”

Spear in hand, Rick saw the curve of her smile replaced with a grim line.  She looked up at him and gave a firm nod in confirmation.  Rick was impressed with the look in her eye.  She may have found herself in a bad situation but she seems to have the will to climb her way out.  She’s tougher than she looks.

In no time at all both of them were armed with a pointy stick and Sade began leading the way with Rick following close behind.  Once again Rick wished that he could make a fire to harden the spear tips, but he simply did not have that knowledge.

I know dad could probably get one roaring in a jiffy.  Why did I ever drop out of the scouts?  This was not his first lamentation since waking up in this forest that he wished he had more wilderness survival training.  But he never felt like he belonged with the other boys.  The constant loneliness combined with the curriculum just not feeling fun or necessary saw him trying to drop out at thirteen.  He stuck with it as long as he could and his parents, while a bit disappointed, respected his decision.

His little sister on the other hand, well, that was a different story.

Rick shook his head and cleared away the cobwebs of nostalgia gathering on his mind.  What was done, was done.  He made a decision and he just had to accept the consequences as his father was fond of saying.  Okay, he really needed a distraction from his own mind.

“So, uh, Sade?  Tell me a bit about yourself.”  He said while trying with every fiber of his being to keep the desperation out of his voice.  It helped that he was indeed genuinely curious about her.  And perhaps he could subtly guide her into telling him where he was.  Maybe she could give him some answers on why he was here.  He doubted it, but there was no harm in trying.  Worst that could happen is that he learns nothing new.

“Oh!”  She cried as if startled from her own reverie. “Well I, um, I was raised in a small town near the mountains.”  She pointed in a direction and Rick could have sworn that was the exact direction the peaks he saw this morning were.  Either she’s lucky or her sense of direction is worlds better than mine

“My father had quite a collection of books and would read to me often when I was little.”  She continued. “When I was old enough, I quickly tore through the entire library, twice!”  Sade let out a slight chuckle and Rick found himself smiling at the mental image of an even tinier Sade sitting on a sofa surrounded by piles of books.  Her little puffballs poking out from behind the leather cover of the tome she was voraciously devouring.

“I guess it's no surprise that I wanted to head to Mya University after I came of age.”  She turned her head to look him in the eye. “What about you?  You don’t look any older than I am, and you said you left your family for something?”

Rick scratched his head, trying to think of a tactful way to explain himself. “Yeah.  I was actually going to leave home for higher education myself.”  His hand fell away as he recalled what he said to his family before heading out.  “They were a bit upset that I wanted to travel such a distance to learn.  I, uh, I told them I wanted to be as far away as possible from them.”

He let out a great sigh.  He looked up and saw sadness in Sade’s eyes, along with a stare that demanded he explain himself.  “Look, my family is very demanding.  My mother expects great things from me, and my dad, well, my dad never resists an opportunity to lecture me on something.  I know they mean well and they spared no effort to make sure I was loved.  But I just felt so smothered by them!”

Rick’s voice began to rise as feelings he kept bottled up for years began to finally surface.  “All my life I just felt inadequate.  How could I be the son of two smart and capable people?”  He gestured at himself, the irony of being naked and baring his soul at the same time was not lost on him.  It almost seemed to help in a way, nothing to cover up with.  “Look at me!  I’m short, plain, and way below average in just about every category.  And then there is my ‘little’ sister.”  He spat out those last few words with considerably more venom than he intended.  But that didn’t mean it wasn’t warranted.

He could feel his eyes sting with emotion. His throat was beginning to tighten but he was not quite done venting. “She is everything that I am not.  She’s as tall as my father, athletic, aced every class she’s taken with flying colors, and is just so beautiful and popular, and I just couldn’t stand it anymore!”

His composure finally shattered into tiny, jagged shards that pierced his heart.  All the fear, regret, and loneliness he had been barely holding back for the past few days came spilling out like a tidal wave of repressed grief.  Raw emotion flooded his mind, seemingly spilling out from the edges of his eyes.

It was too much.

Rick’s legs felt like jelly and he half collapsed at the foot of a tree and let the tears flow freely.  He knew it was unsightly, having a breakdown in front of a woman he just met, and that shame of being unmanly just fueled his sorrow even further.

“I just wanted to get away from it all.” He sobbed. “Be so far away that I could escape the shadow of my perfect family.  Somewhere I could just be Rick and build something for myself from scratch.”  He chuckled darkly. “I didn’t even pick a major.  I just was so desperate to move out that I didn’t even think about what I wanted to study!”

Rick just sat there, curled into a ball, with his head in his arms to obscure the tears flowing freely down his cheeks.  With each word uttered his voice hitched more and more until not even he could understand his own blubbering.  He felt a warm arm drape across his shoulders and another hand cup the side of his head, pulling him sideways into a soft embrace.  Sade didn’t say anything, and Rick just let his emotions continue to pour out of him as he sobbed in her embrace.

That small human gesture was his anchor.  His lone rock of stability in this messed up situation he now found himself in.  It finally clicked into place that Rick had just lost everything and everyone he had ever known or cared about.  And he had absolutely no idea how it happened.  He could only pour out his grief while a kind stranger held him steady.

Eventually he ran out of tears to shed.  He felt drained, like he was simultaneously raw and numb.  He tilted his head up to blink away the lingering wetness and clear his sinuses with some last few sniffs.  “I’m sorry.” He croaked out. “It must be unsightly to see a man bawling like a child so soon after meeting him.”  He turned to face her and was shocked to see twin streams of tears gently falling down her face in a mirror to his own not too long ago.

“Whoa! Did I hurt you?  Is everything alright?!”  Rick exclaimed, panicked that he somehow hurt this young woman in any way with his sudden outburst.

Sade just shook her head and smiled slightly.  “No, I am not hurt.  What you went through, what you carry, it must have been so hard for you.” She gave a slight chuckle and added “It is not often I see a man weep so openly.  I find it refreshing in a way.” Rick groaned.

“You sound like my dad.”

“Your father?!”

“Yep, ‘There’s no shame in a man crying’ he would often say.  Not that he ever followed his own advice.” Rick said, grumbling the last part.

“Did he ever admonish you for weeping?”  Sade asked.  Rick sighed, he was still drained and couldn’t muster enough energy to be mad at his dad any further for the moment.

“No, he never did.”  He admitted. “It’s just that the man is so god damned stoic and straight laced that I can’t even remember a time he ever cried in front of us.”

Sade shifted from her crouch position to sit next to Rick by the tree.  "He might have not cried in front of you but he also didn't punish or belittle you for crying in front of him, right?  From the little you have told me, he seems both kind and wise, more so than most of the men I have known."

"I guess." Rick relented.  "Mom told me once that he cried in her arms a few times when they were just starting out but I never believed her."  He was still unsure if he could ever let go of his issues with his father but he did feel better talking to someone about it.  He felt lighter somehow, like a weight he didn't know he carried was finally cut from around his shoulders.

Sade nodded.  "It feels good to know that I am not alone.  That someone else feels a similar pain to me."

Rick eyed the woman "How so?" He asked.

She gave a lopsided grin and waved her hand at herself in a similar fashion to what Rick did earlier.  "While you have been far kinder about doing so than most, I have seen you look at my body." Rick felt heat rush to his cheeks in horror and embarrassment but Sade continued before he could stammer out an apology "I am not mad.  It is no secret that I look like a child rather than a woman of 18 summers."  She sighed.  "Like you, I also wished to leave my family and forge a new path.  To escape the ridicule.  That if I could learn-"

Suddenly loud yapping could be heard around them.

Rick was on his feet in an instant with his spear pointed forward.  The sounds were coming from both the left and the right, constantly shifting, making it very difficult to determine where the creatures were and how many there were.  “Is this what happened to your group?” Rick asked Sade while he scanned his surroundings.

“No, what attacked us did not make sounds like this.”  Sade called back.  Rick noticed that she was back on her feet, slightly behind him, with her spear also at the ready.

Without warning a shape charged out of the brush and went for Rick’s leg.  Either by luck or some sort of reflex, the shaft of Rick’s spear found itself between him and the fangs aiming for his flesh.  Before he knew it Rick saw a spear protrude from the beast's neck.  He looked up and saw Sade holding on to the other end of the stick with an expression that was equal parts determination and terror.

The beast loosened its hold on Rick’s spear and he gave it a swift kick in its fuzzy ribs just to dislodge it further.  He heard panting from behind him and so he swung his spear downward just in time to have a second creature get the pointed end shoved down its open maw.  There was a brief moment where Rick felt resistance and then the sharpened end of his stick erupted out the back of its thin neck.

Impalement didn’t cancel out momentum, unfortunately, and Rick found his knees give out as the thing skewered on his spear crashed into him, spasming before dying.  He turned around and saw Sade remove her pole from the body of the first creature.

She was shaking as if caught in a snowstorm and used her spear as a cane to keep herself upright.  If Rick was not already on his ass, he probably wouldn’t haven’t appeared much better.

“Are you injured Rick?” She asked softly.  Her voice was far steadier than her legs.  Rick looked down at his shin where the thing tried to bite him earlier and saw nothing so he shook his head.  Panting, his heart still pounding like the bass drum in a metal album, he tried to focus on what just happened.

Seconds.

Not even a single minute.

The entire encounter lasted only seconds and now the forest was eerily quiet once again.  Now that he was no longer in danger, Rick took a long look at what it was that attacked him.  The thing was canine in shape with mottled brown fur and a bushy tail.  It was too small to be a wolf and didn’t look like any fox Rick could think of so he figured it was some sort of coyote.  Examining both bodies revealed how gaunt the two of them were.  “These things must have been starving.  No wonder they were desperate to attack us.”  He observed aloud.

“Gah! I was so scared!” Sade cried as she too collapsed to the dirt, the adrenaline needed to stay standing finally spent.  Rick could feel his own heart rate slowly come back down to a more manageable level now that they were not in danger of being eaten by wild coyotes.  These last few hours were such an emotional roller coaster that he felt absolutely spent.  He looked up and saw the sunlight was angling more to the side than straight down and it was noticeably darker than it was before.

Standing up and brushing himself off he made a decision.  “Alright, I’m going to look for things to build a shelter.  It’s getting late and the last thing we need is to be attacked again after dark.”

Sade didn’t argue and said she would take care of the coyotes while he was gone.  Rick then spent the better part of two hours hacking away at enough branches to build a simple shelter for two and somehow he was able to drag the whole bundle behind him while he hoisted one end of the bundle over his shoulder.

He was absolutely flabbergasted when he came back to where he left Sade and saw a small fire roaring away in a pit dug into the forest floor ringed by stones.  The two coyotes were skinned and one leg was skewered by a long stick and roasted slowly over the fire by being propped up by two other sticks making a teepee of some sort.

Sade sat down cross legged next to the warm embers with her eyes closed.  In her hand was a leaf topped with blackberries and every few seconds had her pop another into her mouth.  Rick thought the whole scene just felt so surreal.

“I’m back!”  He called out hoping not to startle her.  “Are you meditating?”  She cracked open one eye and gave him a look.  After a moment she sighed, put her snack down, and got up to help him with his burden.

“You took a long time to come back but now I can see why.” She said, eying all the branches in his arms.  The two then worked together to build their makeshift shelter next to the fire.  When they were done it looked only marginally more comfortable than what Rick slept in the first night. It was still better than nothing and the fire should help reduce the chill.

“I'm surprised you got everything so tidy.  Especially the fire.”  He said as they both sat down to cook their kills.

“Thank you.” She giggled. “This is not the first time I have had to skin an animal.  And conjuring fire is one of the first things I learned how to do.”

Something about that last sentence tickled Rick's brain.

“Wait… Did you say you ‘conjured’ fire?”