John Burkitt - Touch of the Nisei

“Oh, great,” he muttered.

Elanna settled down in a corner of the cave and closed her eyes. She felt lonely and a little depressed. The soft warmth of Kubali next to her had been a comfort she had learned to rely on. She rolled over and reached out her paw to put it on his shoulder, only he was not there. It was the worst time to be alone, and it took her a while to fall asleep.

Elanna’s nights had been full of bad dreams. She had a morbid fascination with the last moments of her husband, and had experienced them many different ways in her troubled nights. For a change the insistant yearnings in her body changed the course of her slumber.

“Lannie?”

“Yes, Taka?” She rolled on her back, gazing up at her husband that loomed over her with that hungry cub look on his face. “Did you want something?”

Silently, fervantly, he reached down and nuzzled her face, then kissed her throat right above her throbbing pulse. Passionately, he took his paw and rubbed her chest, then passed his paw down to fondle her sensitive belly, awakening sensations in her that made her shiver. He touched the paw to his nose, closed his eyes, and inhaled. “Oh gods,” he stammered. “I’m on fire! Crouch for me, Lannie. I want to make love to you all night.”

She reached up with a paw and fondled his chest mane. “Give me a moment, darling. Let me get ready.”

Elanna lay on the ground in the throes of her romantic dream. Her paws twiched and her jaw trembled. A thin, high moan escaped her lips.

Suddenly an earsplitting crack sundered the air. Elanna’s eyes popped open. She was alone. Once again, Taka was dead and the remnants of her dream were washed away in the downpour. Lightning flashed again. The world outside her cave was cold and miserable, and she thanked Aiheu for the shelter as the rain descended in solid sheets.

The drops fell on the dry earth, splashing in small crowns of splendor. After the plunge to earth, the small sprites sought out their friends, joining to form small trickles that merged into rivulets seeking sanctuary from the strange, hard soil. Some clung to stems of grass, turning them to gemmed scepters that swayed in the wind. Lightning lit the sky with infinite diamonds of brilliant lustre.

A hornbill began to bail water from her nest, her chicks shivering and wet. Lightning framed a couple of meerkat sentries that ducked quickly into their holes. Water ran unchecked into a gopher hole, and the agitated resident came out, looking about in the wet darkness. Nearby a badger slept safely, a drain passage keeping the flood from his bed chamber.

Kubali wended his way down the rocks to the lee side of the kopje and crouched miserably in the mud, his tail tucked between his hind legs and his bedraggled mane soaked and drooping. A flash of lightning made him cringe, and he wished it would all go away and let him sleep.

Elanna came to the mouth of the cave and called softly, "Kubali?"

The faint cry reached his ears and he turned to see Elanna beckoning him frantically towards her. Ears flattened, he padded quickly over, paws sending up small splashes of water and mud. Shivering, he trotted in next to her, grateful for the short respite from the driving rain.

"Huh?"

"Hsssh! Quietly. Come in here."

"But what about Gamu?"

"What about him!” She looked at him sympathetically. “Gods! You’re soaked! Stay in here until it quits, at least.”

“Thanks.” He lay down on the rock floor, still shuddering from the cold air, the water forming small puddles around him as his body steamed away the moisture. Clucking reassuringly, she padded over and lay down next to him, draping a forepaw across his broad shoulders and pulling him close, sharing her body heat with him.

"Don't do that! You'll get wet!"

"I don't care. Besides, it's my fault you got soaked."

Kubali had grown used to the feel of her and the scent of her next to him, and he had trouble sleeping alone. He grunted with contentment as her warmth began to penetrate his cold fur. "Thank you, Lannie. You're really very special."

"So are you." She patted his shoulder and rubbed his side. A smile spread across his face.

Kubali closed his eyes and sighed as her warmth sank into his wet fur, seeping in and easing the shivers which caused his tail to tremble with their vehemence. Gradually, the heat of their bodies filled the cave, giving it a cozy feeling and relaxing him. A contented purr rolled out of his chest and Elanna answered it, sliding closer and touching her side to his.

A bolt of lightning struck, and Kubali felt Elanna tense. "Are you afraid?"

"Well, not actually."

Another bolt of lightning hit nearby. She clung to him with her paws. "There wasn't much rain where I came from. I'm not used to it, that's all."

He turned over to face her, stroking her face with his paw and saying, "I'm here, Honey Tree. You're safe. Nothing's going to happen to you."

"You do make me feel safe," she said, kissing him.

He tried to kiss her back, but stopped at the last moment. Something about it did not seem right. Then a flash of lightning lit her face. There was fear in her eyes, and it was not all from the storm. "It's all right. Really it is." He gently reached out with his arms and bore Elanna's face next to his own. He put a soft kiss on her cheek and on her forehead. "If you want it, I do too. If you don't, just say so."

She said nothing, but nuzzled him quietly and passionately, kissing him with the barest touch of her tongue. A purr escaped her.

Kubali swallowed heavily, his heart beginning to hammer in his chest. “Oh girl, I’ve wanted you for the longest time.”

“Shhh.” She covered his muzzle softly with her paw, silencing him. Craning forward, she nuzzled him firmly, her warm tongue flicking out and tracing down his cheek in a kiss. “Kubali, do you really love me? Are you sure you do?”

He nuzzled her passionately, his wet mane filling her with his fragrance. “I was never so sure of anything in my life.”

She purred, rolling over into a crouch and moving her tail aside. “Come then. Make love to me. I’m yours.”

His heart pounding, Kubali rose to his feet. He kissed her once again, then trembling with anticipation gently took hold of her shapely neck in his jaws, stepping across her supple golden body.

The rain came down furiously. The lovers’ muted cries were muffled somewhat by the pouring rain, but Gamu listened intently and missed nothing. He cringed with every soft moan and cursed his luck, both the rain and the passion lost to another. Staring at the dark opening with narrowed eyes, he bared his teeth and trembled. "Damn you, Kubali! Damn you to hell!"

He listened until he could bear no more, then stalked away stiff-legged with rage, the rain filling the depressions he left in the soft earth.

Elanna laid on her back, forepaws tucked neatly on her chest as she lay nestled against Kubali, basking in the delightful warmth of his body and listening to the soft patter of water dripping outside. The cool evening breeze tugged gently at her fur and she shifted slightly, the mane of her beloved falling gently about her face and shoulders. She inhaled his scent and smiled, a small secret smile that intrigued him.

“What is it?”

Her eyes lidded, she looked at him and purred softly. “Oh nothing.” She lifted a forepaw which could snuff the life from an impala with one blow and gently caressed his face. “For the first time in a long while I feel safe.”

He answered her throaty purr with a low rumble of his own. “You are safe, Elanna. Now and forever.”

“Not Elanna. Lannie. Remember?” She smiled up at him and kissed him.

His eyes sparkled. “Lannie, then...do you know how beautiful you are to me right now?”