The Fox and The Wolf

Chapter Nine

I woke up laying in bed.

My eyes feel painful after pouring out all the tears contained in my body. I could feel my throat hurts while my head throbs. It never felt good after crying.

Rubbing my eyes, I realize that a pair of eyes were watching me from the corner of my vision.

As I look up, I was met with the grey cold eyes that I hated to much. His expression was blank, not giving out anything as he sat down on Raphael's corner. Raphael himself was leaning his head on Rick's lap as he stroke the king of jungle like he was some kind of a pet.

Despite his hands keep stroking the lion's head, his eyes never left me.

Rick was already in his usual outfit, making me assume that he had finished work already, which concludes that it was almost night time. Or even night time already for all I know. I don't know for how long had I been asleep.

Throwing a glare at him, I dragged my feet to the sink, splashing my face with cold water to erase the sticky feeling that had left after you cry.

I sighed, feeling slightly better as the water calms my head. I could still feel my fingers shaking when I close the tap.

I was scared. That was the truth.

I was even more terrified at Rick now that it had dawned at me the fact that I was completely in his mercy.

Trapped, caged, disappeared from the real world.

I wonder whether my parents was looking for me out there. Were they panicked I hadn't come home?

I shook my head, trying to get myself off from the negative thinking. All I can do in this situation was keeping my wits all the time, I couldn't break. Not yet at least.

I jumped, feeling a hot breath on my neck. I could feel shivers run down my back. I was certain that I didn't heard him walking over to me.

"Harriet.." He muttered.

I grip the edge of the sink tightly, feeling my hearbeat accelerates in fear.

"Y-yes?"

My voice cracked. It feels like there were pins digging through my throat, making me unable to answer him properly.

He was silent for a moment, before his strong arms encircled around my waist, lifting me up because of the height difference.

I let out a yelp. Out of reflex, my hands shoot out trying to grab something to hold to in which I grabbed his forearms.

As he started to walk to Raphael's corner, my eyes turned wide in horror.

"Wait.. No, please," I tried to struggle, but I could only do little considering my back was meeting his front, caging my small frame with his big ones.

"No, Rick, please.. What are you doing?" I croaked, feeling exhausted with the pointless struggling.

My eyes become more blurry at each steps he took towards Raphael's body. Raphael was just sitting there in his bed, silently watching our moves.

"Rick, stop it. This isn't funny."

I tried to claw at his arms, and to no avail I found that my nails were cut short. I didn't even realize that before this. How had he took so much trouble to the details?

Biting my lips, I tried to swallow the curses that almost slip my lips. After a few days living in this cage, Rick had established some unwritten rules that he had pointed out. He never really did said it were rules, it was just that if I do things that broke the rules, punishment was waiting for me.

Cursing is one of them. He was skeptical with this.

Without me knowing, we had stand right before Raphael who now perks his head up in curiosity.

I let out a small scream as Rick put me down right beside Raphael.

The moment my skin touched the animal at the proximity, I sat frozen.

Cold sweat runnnig down my forehead as I could feel my arms shook heavily.

I didn't notice that Rick had gone to the other corner of the room where my bed resides, picked something up, before coming back here. All I could focus was Raphael's breath as his back lifting and rising.

I could see his golden skin, full of muscles underneath, clasped jaw that doesn't hide the fact that he indeed have highly functioning teeth that could easily rip off my head. His claws hidden, and yet I couldn't push off the idea that he could shred my limbs in an instant. I look away, unable to contain my fear as I feel faint.

A brown-colored boot appear in my vision. I quickly looked up, seeing Rick standing tall in his full height before he crouched down until we're in the same eye level. He took my jaw in his hand, caressing slowly.

"Relax," He soothe.

I could barely able to breathe being in such a close proximity with Raphael, let alone tried to relax. His word was stupid in my ears. Yet, I couldn't help but listen.

His fingers slowly trailing my jaw to my neck before gently massaging a spot in which strangely relaxes me.

I focus on his soft touch, momentarily forgetting of Raphael's presence besides me.

"Here, hold this."

Rick gave me something that he had been holding on since before on his right hand, while his left didn't stray away from the crook of my neck.

I look down on my palm, realizing that it had been the brush that was placed in top of my drawer some time before. I had forgotten about it as it stayed untouched.

I look up at him, finding his eyes were already staring at mine.

Finally the puzzle clicked as I understand what he wanted me to do.

"No, no... T-that's absurd. I can't do this." I plead, probably looking even paler than before.

"It will be alright, Harriet." He assured.

I only bit my lips in reply, knowing fully well that I don't have any rights to say no as long as I was trapped in here.

Rick eyes fluttered a moment towards my lips before going back up to my eyes. Then he sat down, positioning himself behind me before taking my hands in his.

"Just try to breathe,"

His voice fanned my ears as I could hear my heartbeats shoots up the moment he put my fingers to Raphael's head.

Slowly, he guides me, letting my fingers touched and stroked Raphael's head properly in the places the he found it satisfying.

After awhile, my breathe come to its normal rhythm, after noticing that Raphael wouldn't do anything to harm me. My back that was so tense before began to relax, unknowingly leaning back to his broad chest. Knowing this, Rick became rigid for a moment, before he himself too, relaxed.

We fall into a comfortable silence as he let me explore Raphael's head on my own. After figuring out that I wasn't that afraid of the lion anymore, he finally took my hand once again, with now the brush in my right hand.

At first, he showed me how to brush Raphael's mane, after a few more tries with my hand under his, he let go and let me do it on my own.

After that, we once again fall into a comfortable silence. I could feel Rick's breath in my ears, and yet, while before it made fear pumps through my whole body, this time it provided me comfort. Comfort that if somehow Raphael is going berserk, he was there and could help me instantly.

I never thought there will be a moment that I won't dread his existence in my life.

I guess things changed.

And it changed faster than I could imagine.