I guess that’s another good thing about Toshi. He’s not controlling. He respects my independence.
I snort. Am I really still going on with this topic after almost breaking my neck?
Shrugging off the thoughts, I concentrate on where I’m going, following the sound of the waterfall.
I can already feel the mist from the waterfall, which already feels good against my skin. I can’t wait to wash off the dirt of the day.
“THIS FEELS DIVINE,” I tell Toshi as I stand beneath the waterfall, the cold water trickling down my hair and face and splashing off the top of my head and shoulders, the rest of my body immersed in the pool.
I know I was just supposed to wash my arms but the moment I saw the waterfall and that small, crystal clear pool it was tumbling into, so peaceful in contrast with the untamed falls, I just couldn’t help myself. I had to take my clothes off and take a dip in the water.
I still have my underwear on, of course, and I’m well aware of Toshi stealing looks but I don’t care. Let him look. The water just feels wonderful, washing not just blood and dirt away but also all my worries.
Amazing.
“You remind me of a monk,” Toshi says, sitting on a rock at the edge of the pool.
“A monk?” I throw him a puzzled look.
“Yeah. Buddhist monks meditate under waterfalls, you know. The water cleanses their minds and strengthens their spirits.”
And I completely understand why.
“I see.”
“Though, of course, since they’re meditating, they don’t say a word, unlike you.”
Frowning, I swim towards him, splashing some water on him.
He jumps back, scowling. “Hey!”
“Why don’t you join me?” I ask him.
“No.” His tone is downright surly. He practically spits the word at me.
“Come on. It’s fun.” I reach my arm out to him.
For a moment, he just stands there, the twisted features on his face letting me know of the debate going on in his mind. Finally, he moves closer to the edge, closer to me, but before I can pull him in, he’s gone.
What the...?
In the next second, I hear footsteps approaching. I realize just how naked I am and wonder suddenly what it was that compelled me to be quite so...free. This isn’t really me, despite how good the water had felt moments before. Now I’m just cold...and awkward. I look up and see Kyle, Theo and Sebastian. I should be surprised but I’m not. Kyle and Theo are both looking happy and relieved to see me, though both their eyebrows raise. Sebastian is annoyed as hell, as he looks around, eyes narrow as they scour the nearby rocks, trees and bushes in search of my companion, which I’m sure he can smell.
Besides, I can hear his thoughts.
Where is that devious, little jerk?
Yeah. He’s definitely looking for Toshi. For that matter, so am I.
Chapter Fourteen
~ Toshi
CROUCHED ON A BRANCH of a tree high above the waterfall’s edge, I stay still as a statue, deathly silent.
Below me, that Wolf stands, tension in every muscle of his body. He knows I’m around. He can smell my scent in the air just like I could smell him coming from a mile away, that constant smell of filth. But he won’t find me. When Cats go into camouflage, they can hide even their smell, and I’ve left my scent on enough different spots to confuse him, hence those furrowed eyebrows and flaring nostrils. He may have found Clarissa but he won’t find me.
“Come out and face me, coward!” he calls out.