28. Farren
Farren
I stayed up and watched the boys train until sunset when I decided that if I wanted to eat I had to prepare my own supper.
As I carefully moved around the guys to reach the fire to cook my meal, I caught my foot on a raised rock and went sprawling forward.
I slammed my eyes shut as I squeaked in fright. But my face never collided with the rough ground. When I risked cracking open an eye, I saw the earth moving away from me as I was lifted back to my feet.
“Are you falling for us, Fare one?” Locke whispered in my ear as he pulled me close enough that I felt the muscles of his chest along my back.
I flushed and stammered as I tried to get my feet back under me even as I was being held inches off the ground. He laughed as I was eased back down and I swore I saw the tips of Roan’s ears pinken.
“I think we’ve worked long enough, our girl is getting hungry.” My bear teased as he guided me to the spot that I was originally aiming for.
I stuck my tongue out at him as he turned away with my food in his giant paws. I slouched back with my arms crossed in a pout as Roan came up to rest on the ground beside me.
“He’s really not happy unless he’s taking care of either of us, is he?” he asked in a hushed tone.
“It’s a shifter thing,” Locke answered for me over his shoulder. “My father grew up in a pack community and I guess some of those traits must have passed onto me.” He shrugged as he started cooking for me.
“And what exactly does that mean? For those of us who don’t speak shifter,” Roan asked with his hand raised like a student in school. I had to hold back my laughter at his antics.
“You’re a bit of a movie buff, right?” Locke replied, looking back long enough to see Roan nod. “Think about the movies that feature multiple wolves. They live in packs and those packs take care of each other. It’s pretty much like that. I just have a natural instinct to want to take care of my pack since I have one now. Before I, I lived my life as a pure bear. Solo.”
I nodded along. It made sense at least from what I had learned in my travels. It didn’t matter what the animal was, all shifters had a natural instinct to live in communities.
Roan seemed to still have questions but was willing to drop them as Locke passed me my cooked meal.
I ate while watching Locke prepare his own supper. We finished about the same time, so I stood up to give him my seat. As he bent down to assure me that it wasn’t necessary, I told him I was tired anyway and went to lie down in the tent.