Beauty and The Beasts: Rain

26. Turning The Page

      A few days later, Rain managed to work up some courage.  She shifted and grabbed her top.  On her way to the third floor, she noticed that the windows all had proper coverings and that her den was spotless.  Rain sighed, but was not angry this time.  She would find some way to repay the beasts that helped her in the future.

      The bathing basin was filled with clean, but long cooled water.  Rain didn't mind the chill of the water and even welcomed it.  She soaked herself and washed with the cleaning grass that sat on the stand next to the bath.  Rain stared at the grass mixture in her hands feeling her eyes sting.

     Rain could smell a faint scent of her brother lingering and knew he must have been the one to gather her favorite scented grass.  It seemed like her debts kept piling up.  She never asked for Winston or Third to be so considerate towards her.  Rain never once questioned it in the past, instead she would grow annoyed thinking they were belittling her.  Now, however, she felt less than worthy of their care.

       Rain buried the incoming feelings of shame and worthlessness.  She decided to confront those who cared for her first.  She would tackle her other issues later.

      Rain gave her body a once-over.  The bruises that once blotched her body were nowhere to be seen.  Even her lost scales have mostly grown back.  The only indication of her fight was the occasional twinge of pain in her muscles.  She must have torn them badly if they were taking this long to heal.  Now that she had a second stripe, her recovery time should be quick so long as the damage wasn't critical.

      After cleaning herself, Rain got out of the tub and approached the window.  She did not bring a fur to dry with, but she didn't need it.  Water would slide right off of her body thanks to her unique constitution as a snake.  She glanced at the outside world.  The day was sunny and a nice breeze was blowing.  She saw Third talking with Brice.  Brice noticed her first.  His expression changed from one of surprise to one of embarrassment.

     Third caught Brice staring and looked as well.  A toothy smile soon engulfed his face, as he waved and called out to Rain.  Rain put effort into moving her facial muscles and managed a small smile.  She hesitated a moment before waving back.  Rain knew he picked up that way of greeting from their mother, but she wasn't so used to returning the motion.

     Rain turned to leave and realized that she was still bare.  She grabbed her top and prepared to fasten it.  It was somewhat tattered and not in great shape.  She would need to make new tops soon to replace it.

       Rain made her way downstairs where Third was waiting.  Rain felt like sighing again.  In Third's excitement, he neglected to ask permission to enter.  She let it pass this time.  Winston and Third had been in her territory for a while now.  They took care of her and she didn't want to be obstinate or inconsiderate of their efforts.

     Rain was quickly trapped in an embrace.  Her eyes stung, but she blinked rapidly so no moisture could form.   She had enough of tears and did not want to show any more venerability.  She did reach up and hug Third back.  For the first time in her life, Rain had the urge to lean into the embrace.  A small part of her wanted to depend on someone else for once.

     Rain resisted the temptation.  She was still mentally fragile and didn't want to regret it later.  She pulled away and stared at Third.  Before he could speak, Rain shushed him.  She needed to say what she wanted to say before she lost the nerve.

     "Thank you for worrying about me Third."  Third was going to speak up, but Rain shushed him again.  "Let me speak.  I was listening to what you said the other day.  You don't need to apologize to me.  I was the one who lost her head."

     Rain paused momentarily, making sure that Third was paying attention.  "I need you to tell me if what...Damon said was true.  Third were you holding back that day?"  Rain ground out the name of the beast whom she loathed the most, but managed to say what she wanted to.

     Third's eyes shifted around nervously.  He knew Rain would hate it if he lied, but would be angry if he told the truth.  Third decided to say it and deal with the consequences later.  "Yes, but it wasn't on purpose necessarily.  I really wanted to hunt with you and didn't think it mattered much."  Third tried to defined himself with words while bracing himself.  Rain's anger never came.

     "Alright.  This time, it was okay.  Next time, you have to tell me first.  Don't hold back like that Third.  Not for me or anyone else.  You could die in a moment of carelessness and I don't ever want to lose..." you like that.  Rain felt embarrassed and couldn't complete her sentence.

     Rain didn't have to finish the sentence for Third to understand.  He teared up knowing how much Rain cared about him.  He had missed his parents dearly and found the familial comfort he lacked, in his sister.  Even if Rain wasn't as gentle as his mother, she still treated him with more care than anyone else.

     "Okay Rain.  I'll tell you everything, always."  Third wrapped Rain in another emotional embrace.  Rain wanted to say that he didn't have to tell her everything, but she didn't want to ruin the moment.  She was certain it would fly right over her brother's head anyway.

     Brice listened to the pair from a distance.   He had left shortly after Rain made her appearance. He didn't want to agitate her and intended to give the siblings some space.  He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but his sharp hearing picked up their conversation anyway.  He didn't want to go too far since Winston wasn't here.  Third and Winston worried Rain might hunt down Damon once she recovered.  Thankfully, they seemed to be wrong.

     Brice smiled.  He had been crushed by guilt since the incident.  His burden lightened slightly listening to the two talk.  Rain wasn't as energetic and feisty as usual, but didn't seem completely dispirited either.  Since the tiger king had let him live, Brice was going to make sure he never had to witness Rain's tears again.

     Unaware of a certain hawk's resolve, the two siblings finished their family bonding session.  Rain was able to resolve her concerns about Third and their relationship was as strong as ever.

     Rain was hesitant to see Winston, but knew it was an inevitability.  Rain had no intention of approaching Brice yet.  She was very uncomfortable knowing that he saw her when she had fallen to rock bottom.  Since he wasn't coming to her, she could worry about him another time.

     For several hours, Rain listened to Third talk while inspecting her den.  Winston did a lot, but left everything impersonal.  Rain rearranged some of the furniture to suit her taste.  She wouldn't argue with Winston about this.  Instead she was going to thank him and pay him for the work.  Apparently, Winston had also paid Harvey for her treatment.  Her debt to Winston was, by far, the most she owed to any beast.

     Rain resisted the urge to sigh again.  She was doing that a lot lately.  She was going to be busy earning enough to pay him back.  Rain wasn't looking forward to her next hunt.  She figured Winston won't let her leave without a legion of guards after what happened.  She would need to compromise and accept any demands he makes so long as he lets her go without a fuss.

     Lost in her thoughts, Rain didn't register anything Third said to her and was only responding with 'hmms' and nods.  Third could tell his sister was not listening and decided to ask her several questions in rapid succession.

     "The weather is really nice today right?  We should go hunting again yes?  Let's go shopping soon.  How about we go look for potential mates together?"  Third thought he was real crafty sneaking that last one in without sounding excited.  He took a risk using that word around Rain, but she seemed subdued in comparison to before.  As he had hoped, Rain nodded senselessly.

      "Okay!  Don't forget you promised me."  Third didn't try to hold back his enthusiasm this time and caught Rain's attention.

     Rain furrowed her brow.  Her brother had an annoyingly smug look on his face and she knew she missed something she shouldn't have.  Before she could interrogate her brother, she sensed a familiar presence.  Rain's thoughts halted and went blank.  She knew this was coming and would need to face the beast that was approaching.