Page 9 of Hoof It

Nine

Chapter 8

Jimazu

I watch my mate walk away from where she was just standing on the opposite side of the stream from my hiding spot. Her whispered words still ring in all four of my ears. She catches up to her friends, and it’s only another moment before they’re out of my sight.

My instincts are screaming at me to follow them again, but her friend already feels uncomfortable with me watching my mate. I force my hooves to stay where I am until I can no longer hear the three of them walking. Only then do I walk upstream back to my home.

My home has never felt so empty as it does now. I know now that I’m no longer meant to be on my own. I have a mate nearby. But, she’s a human. I’ve rarely questioned Pan’s decisions, but right now I am. Why would he pair me with a human? Is this his way of letting me know for sure that I’m truly the last of my kind? Or is it for some higher purpose?

She seems to be accepting of the fact that I’m her mate, I think anyway, even without seeing my true face. But that doesn’t automatically mean that she’d be okay with living here with me in the caves. Humans are social creatures just like goatkind are. Just because I don’t mind living in a cave in the middle of the forest doesn’t mean that she would like it too.

There’s no way that I’d be able to ever live amongst the humans in one of their towns. I’ve seen how they react to me when they see me on accident out here. I shudder as I remember the way we were treated by them when I was a kid, too. Humans back then were vicious and unaccepting. I can’t imagine that they’re more accepting now.

I have no idea why I’m even allowing this line of thought. I don’t even know my mate’s name. Just because she appears to accept that we’re mates from a distance does not mean that she would actually accept me face to face. She could easily reject our bond, and the thought alone of that happening hurts. I can only imagine how painful it would really be if she were to outright reject me. It may kill me.

Pan above, my thoughts are darker than ever. I need a distraction. I don’t trust myself to go back out to the woods and pick more berries. I’d just end up back at her campsite. A leisurely swim in the lake is not an option for the same reason. The hot spring is a possible idea, except I’d be left alone with my dark thoughts and I don’t need that right now.

I’m not hungry, so cooking isn’t an option at the moment. I glance up at the decorated walls and it dawns on me; I can paint them. Mind made up, I walk down a narrow path to the storage area and pick up my painting and carving supplies from where I put them early this morning.

It takes me a short while to find some empty wall space. I eventually settle on the walls along the walkways from my main living area to the storage areas. I set up my paints and start carving. I’m able to lose myself in the motions of digging into the rock walls like I always do.

I lose myself for hours as I carve. I’m finally able to close off my mind and enjoy simply existing as one with the rockface. Feeling as though this part is complete, I put the sharp rock down and switch to my paints. I add a few drops of water to each color and ensure that they aren’t starting to dry out. I pick up my homemade paintbrush made from my own fur and a thin stick. I make sure that the hairs aren’t dried out and caked in paint, then I dip the tip of it into my first color.

I paint for nearly as long as I carved. Once again, I lose myself to the motions and allow my mind to go blank. I’m simply an extension of the brush and paints. My arm moves in rhythmic motions as I add layer after layer of color to the rockface. I mix and blend and shade until nearly every inch is covered.

When it’s complete, I take several steps backwards. My breath catches in my chest. My mate’s sky-blue eyes are staring at me. I’ve painted her in a lake. She’s standing up to her hips in the water, and her arm is outstretched as if she’s reaching for something, or someone. She’s naked, and her long hair is covering her chest. Water is dripping off the tips. Even as a painting, she’s breathtaking. She’s a goddess in the flesh and I find myself craving her mere presence.

My eyes continue to take in the complete painting. A full moon shines down on her and highlights the various shades of brown in her hair. I never noticed the earthy tones in it. I lose myself for a few moments in the mix of pinecone, fawn, and even a hint of woolgrass brown. Before I realize what I’m doing, my arm is reaching out to touch her hair as if it’s actually right in front of me. I shake myself out of the stupor I’m in and bring myself back to reality before I’m able to smear the still-wet painting.

I’m still floored at how well the painting turned out. The carving beneath it adds an extra depth to every inch of it. I’ve never painted a human before, and I still managed to capture her perfectly. I’m in awe of my own work.

I turn and look at the opposite wall. I lose myself once again in the motions of carving and painting for several hours. When I step back, I see that I now have a sunny meadow full of wildflowers of varying colors from shades of red to purple and every color in between. The clouds are puffy and white. The stems of some of the taller flowers look as though they’re moving in a breeze. The sky is only a few shades lighter than my mate’s eyes are on the opposite wall.

Once again, I shake myself from my stupor. Satisfied and now exhausted, I pick up all my supplies and return them to the storage area. I barely make it to my bedding before my eyes are closing. I’m out like a bear in winter for several hours.

When I wake, I have no idea whether it’s day or night. My body is sore from sleeping so hard, and my belly is angry at me for how long it’s been since I last fed it. Before I can even consider food though, I have to step outside, pleasantly surprised to see that it’s early afternoon. I relieve myself for the first time in a day and a half then I return to the cave. I make my way to the food storage room and grab some small pumpkins and carrots.

I eat the carrots raw on my way to the main room. I stoke the fire and place the two pumpkins on top of the grate to roast them lightly. I take a drink of water from my always-full water skin beside my bedding. It’s not long before the gourds are roasted the way I like them. They now have light char lines on them and they’re not too hot to touch or hold.

I eat them slowly, enjoying the warmth they bring to my slowly filling belly. As I finish eating, I have no idea what I want to do today. Nothing needs done around the cave. My food cache doesn’t need topped off. I don’t want to paint again. My arms are slightly sore from last night.

All I know for sure is that I don’t want to sit here all day. That in mind, I stand and grab my mask. I place it on my face as I walk back outside. Only a few feet away from the cave entrance, I hear voices. They stop me in my tracks. Humans have never wandered this close to my home. I stand still, hoping that they wander away as long as I don’t move or breathe or make noise of any kind.

The voices come closer. Then I realize, it’s my mate and her friends. I actually start to panic. She’s so close now that I can smell her. From this distance her scent reminds me of a fire, citrus fruits, and a hint of salt. Her scent calls up feelings of a permanent home. The closer they walk to me, the stronger I can feel the pull of the mate bond.

All of a sudden, the three of them are only a couple of feet away from me. All three stop walking suddenly. Her friends’ mouths drop open. My mate has one hand covering her mouth and the other against her chest. We’re all silent for a moment.

My mate slowly steps forward until she’s only inches away from me. The hand covering her mouth reaches out to touch me, as if she can’t believe I’m real. I have to tip my head down to meet her eyes. My goat ears twitch as they catch every small sound she makes. Her hand makes contact with my bare chest. It slowly moves up towards my mask. I reach up slowly and pull it off and drop it to the ground. My eyes fall closed at the skin-to-skin contact as her warm, soft fingers touch my true face for the first time.

Her fingers brush my horns and I can’t stop the soft bleat that escapes from between my lips. She gasps and my eyes pop open. She looks confused and a little worried. I reach my own hand out and brush a piece of hair that’s fallen loose from the knot on top of her head.

“I won’t hurt you, little mate.” I can’t stop myself from whispering quietly enough for only her to hear. She looks shocked that I can speak.

“I think…I know that.” She looks up into my eyes and she no longer looks worried. My words seem to have comforted her. “My name is Darcy. What’s yours? Do you have a name?”

“I am called Jimazu, though I haven’t had anyone say my name in far too long.” My thumb strokes her jaw. Her skin is smoother than I’d imagined. I want to touch every inch of her that I can.

“Are you really real, Jimazu?” She’s still whispering. Her hand moves from my horns back to my bare chest, her fingers splayed. The rest of the forest falls away and it’s as if only the two of us exist.

“I assure you, little mate, I am very real.”

She smiles up at me, and her eyes light up with it. In that moment, I know that I’ll strive to keep smiles on her face for the rest of my life. “You’re more beautiful than the forest in spring when flowers are beginning to bloom again.”

Her lips are the shade of an unripened strawberry, and I want to taste them. I’m wholly unwilling to scare Darcy off, so I decide to stroke her full bottom lip with my thumb instead. It’s just as soft as her cheek. “Every part of you is so soft, like moss phlox. Though you smell much better than the plant.” I chuckle.

Darcy’s head tilts to the side and she seems confused. “What’s that?”

“It’s an incredibly soft ground plant that grows all over here. It smells a lot like a plant that I’ve smelled humans smoking.”

“A plant you’ve smelled humans smoking… Oh! You mean marijuana?” She laughs, and it has my heart squeezing then expanding. “I’m glad I smell better than that.”

“Is that what it’s called? I’ve only ever gotten whiffs of the terrible smoke from it. As soon as I start to catch a hint of the scent, I go deeper into the woods and away from the smell.” I shrug.

She laughs again and shakes her head. I can’t help but smile at her.

“I can’t believe you’re here, little mate. I want to hold you so badly.” I’ve never been one to hide my feelings, especially not now that I’ve been alone for as long as I have.

“You keep calling me ‘little mate’. So, it’s true then, we’re mates? I wasn’t just hearing things the last few days?” Her hands are both on my chest now. I glance down at them briefly.

“It’s true. Pan finally answered my prayers and brought you into my life. You’re meant for me, just as I’m meant for you. We’re each other’s perfect other half.”

Darcy inches closer until we’re toe to hoof. Her arms circle around my waist and she tugs my upper body towards hers. The top of her head only comes up to my chest. I didn’t realize how small she is until this moment. Her arms loosen as she grabs my own and places them across the tops of her shoulders before rewrapping hers around my back.

I’m not sure what she’s doing, but it seems to comfort her on a deep level. She lets out a contented sigh and burrows her face into my abdomen. We stand like that for a moment before a throat clears nearby. Just like that, the bubble we’ve created the last few moments is popped.

“Not to interrupt the adorable moment y’all are having…but are you going to introduce us to your new friend, Darce?” I glance over and it’s the blonde friend speaking. My mate turns in my arms so that she’s facing her friends but she makes no move to leave me.

“Guys, this is Jimazu. Jimazu, these are my best friends. Lexi—” the blonde steps forward “—and her girlfriend Frankie.” The one with hair the color of violets raises a hand in a slight wave. I incline my head towards the pair of them in greeting.

My mate’s belly chooses this moment to speak up. Her cheeks turn red and she mumbles an apology before re-burying her face in my abdomen. Her friends laugh and I shoot them a look that has them quieting down.

“Do you need to eat, little mate?” I gently pull her face away from my body and look into her eyes.

She nods once. “Yeah. I was too anxious this morning to eat anything other than a protein bar. It’s like my body knew that I’d find you today.” She smiles and her whole face is transformed. Her smile reminds me of sunlight breaking through gray clouds after a terrible storm. I make a silent promise to Pan to give her a reason to smile at me every single day for the rest of our lives.