Ch. 58
#63 of True Confessions of a Trainer
--Penance--
I had honestly resigned myself to curl up on his coat and wait it out. A little awkward, but I was glad he didn't leave himself completely vulnerable. If it meant I could protect him, I could handle having to sit there and listen to another girl moan for him. It would've been fine if it didn't leave me completely soaked. His coat was doomed. But that was honestly his own fault.
Some time after they'd finished, Helena all but shoved me from my spot, and settled in where I'd been. I managed half an indignant word before she smirked and curled up the way I had been before. Even going so far as to feign sleep. Very convincingly.
For his part, Master beckoned me over, and I wouldn't deny him. His hands slipping through my fur, the way he led me down, to lie in the grass with him, being able to just cradle him close, his head resting on my leg, warm and safe and comfortable, if that was what he wanted, I could wait for what I did.
"We're going to start training. All of us." He said quietly. "I'm going to need your strength, Penance. I'm going to push you harder than anyone, because you might be the only one who can save us, if things go wrong." He was apologetic, at least, until I wrapped him up in my paws, held him close and rolled onto my back, keeping him warm and safe nestled against my belly.
"You can count on me." I answered, as he began to relax in my grip. "I won't let anyone hurt you. I won't. I love you, master. I'll work harder than anyone, so when you're too tired to carry it all, I'll carry you." He sighed at that, and started to speak, but I stilled him, held him a little tighter. "Stop. Just... Listen."
One thing I had learned about him... Those were two things he was always ready to do. Stop, and listen. He was patient, and for a few moments, we listened to the wind whispering through the grass. The world turned on for a moment, just like he kept telling us it would.
"You can't carry everything. Nobody can. Back on the farm, everyone had to work together just to stay on top of it. Fences don't mend themselves. Hay doesn't stack itself. A field doesn't till itself. Dinner doesn't cook itself. Everyone keeps moving. And if someone gets sick? Gets hurt? Everyone moves a little faster, don't they? No choice but to." I explained, pushing him upright after a moment. "But we count on you. We all count on you. We can't afford to let you get hurt, or get sick because you don't know when to rest."
He sighed at that, but wrapped an arm around my paw, and nodded. "Soon. I promise. I can't yet. But we're going to put some distance between us and this place. Probably between us and Wendy, too. That's up to her, but she has her own plans, too."
He'd already been thinking hard about it. I knew he was distracted lately, but it was still a surprise. I'd begun to imagine the two of them inseparable.
Then again, you could've said the same about her and I. Once upon a time.
--Trainer--
By the time we made it back to the tent, my coat had dried. It still smelled faintly of Penance's unanswered desires. Honestly, so did the rest of my tent, by the time I curled up with her. I had let the girls out, and we'd settled in, mostly comfortable. A big pile of warmth, and love, entwined together to rest until the morning.
Wendy found us over breakfast, and joined us, letting Staccato stray a bit to graze and enjoy his precious solitude. It had become a bit of a routine, we'd eat, and talk about nothing, then after breakfast we'd make plans on where to meet up next. She'd go at her pace, I'd go mine.
This time though... I was about to take a sharp detour.
"I'm going to book a ship when we get back to the coast." I said, pulling up the map on my tablet. She hadn't yet had the chance to replace hers, we had intended to once we got there. "I'm going to hit the local gym circuit, and the contest hall." I said, pointing out the island chain I planned to go to. Easily a week's voyage, sunny and warm.
Wendy stared for a long moment, silent contemplation and a slowly growing unease before she spoke. "Looks like we'll be parting ways for a bit." She said, sweeping two fingers over the map to point out the desert city she'd met me at. "I still have things I need to do here. I'll meet you there after, if you haven't moved on."
"I plan to be there for a while, to be honest. I'm hoping maybe we can lay low while some of this blows over." I paused, and sighed. "But if we're splitting up, be careful, okay? Don't get in over your head."
"Speak for yourself. It's not me they're after." Wendy replied as she began to clean up and get ready for the road ahead. Some time passed in silence before either of us spoke again. I remarked on the weather, and a couple of inane details like that, but it was an uncomfortable silence as I strapped my backpack to Penance's back.
"Well, for today..." She said softly, her hand taking mine. Warm, and reassuring, she held it tightly. "Let's go together, okay?" She asked, as she called Staccato back to his pokeball. "And... maybe around lunch, I'd like a chance to talk. Since we won't get a chance for a while."
--Penance--
Good. Girl.
I was proud of her. For the first time in a long time, I was honestly proud of Wendy. She wasn't going to leave things unsaid, or assume he knew what she was thinking. She wasn't going to walk away with heartache or regret. She'd grown up, at least a little.
I couldn't help but feel a kind of satisfaction when she called Staccato back to her pokeball. She intended to walk, we all would. At his pace. She was going to draw out the next few days, instead of rushing ahead. It meant something to have time together with him, and she had finally figured out... at least I hoped so... that the time together was worth more than any goal ahead.
Thanks to master, I began to believe she would be just fine.
Speaking of, Claire and Tempest each took a side, arm in arm with him, as we walked along the road. While he kept conversation with Cocoa and Mira, who were asking dozens of questions about where we were going, Claire and Tempest proved quiet company, and soon I found myself walking beside them, enjoying the back and forth from a very animated Mira about the idea of travel by ship.
For her part, Helena stayed close to Tempest, a wary eye to our backs, though after the first few hours, that faded and she began to smile. We passed a few trainers as we went, but mostly we were by ourselves, the open road and the promise of a new horizon ahead of us. She found her way to master's side, eventually. Tempest taking the hint and joining Claire.
I'd begun to let my mind wander, happy little distractions as the miles went, until Tempest took me by surprise, letting go of Claire and walking beside me. I was startled at first, but she made quick work of the knots, freeing the pack from my shoulders and shrugging it onto her own with a little wink.
"Not going to let you do all the work." She said, with a cheerful ruffling of my fur, her claws raking down my back in the most delightful way. It was good to feel the wind through my fur again, and I wasn't objecting to the idea of being free to move about how I'd like.
"Thanks. Let me know when you're ready to take a break." I offered, but Tempest laughed at that, and swept a hand toward master. "Or not. We could let him carry it, too."
"That's the plan." She said, with a grin. "Not going to let my mate grow soft on me. Not yet, at least." She said, as she adjusted the straps to fit her a little better. I marveled at how nimble her hands were, for how much claw she had.
"It's exciting to think we're going to be taking a real vacation." I said, as we moved a little closer to master. "I've never been over the ocean. The desert was the furthest I'd ever gone."
It was a sentiment they all seemed to share. Master included, his own excitement fueled ours.
It was a long time coming.