Raining Cats And Dogs: Chapter 11 (Finale)

The first thing he was aware of was pain. Pain that wracked his entire body rendering him unable to move without great difficulty. At first he tried to move his arms but they would not lift so he went for something smaller. His fingers would move, they were fine. His feet too, they moved. But moving his actually limbs was proving problematic to say the least. He also had yet to open his eyes; something was telling him that when he did so the pain in his body would be the least of his troubles.

The pain had been the first thing that struck him but now he was beginning to think past it. Why was he even able to feel pain? In those last few moments before the world had gone black he had been sure he was facing his death. He'd been close to death enough time in his life to know that this time had been the closest he had ever come to facing his maker. It was a terrifying thought but one he had come to terms with in the moments before collapsing. It now seemed he needn't have worried.

As more of his body began to respond to him the pain started to lessen, slowly but surely. Eventually he could lift his hand and he tentatively felt his torso. A severe sense of déjà vu washed over him when his fingers connected with thick bandage. Was he in fact dreaming? Or was he actually awake? He had no idea but maybe he should open his eyes.. Finally he opened them and was greeted with a wooden ceiling. Where on earth was he?

Too many questions.

He slowly forced himself up to a seated position and looked around. He was in a long building made of wood, lay beside a crackling fire. It looked as though it had been burning for some time. He wasn't cold even though he could still see the snow outside. The fire was delightfully warm.

His throat was dry and sore and he felt both hungry and thirsty. It wasn't overly surprising that he had been out for quite some time with such a serious injury. He hadn't even thought too much about where he was, he was far too interested in figuring out what was still wrong with him. It seemed he was well on the road to healing at least.

He forced himself to his feet and he found that he wasn't as shaky as he had feared he would be. His feet moved easily under him and so long as he didn't move his upper body too much the pain didn't bother him. Well, he was in constant pain but it would shock him sharply if he moved too much. His feet took him out of the building and into the bright outdoors, despite the chill of the winter air on his bare skin.

He shivered and carefully wrapped his arms tighter around his torso. He had no idea where his clothes were but the matter of where he was was in fact far more pressing. Before him stood a grand lake some way down the ground, the sunlight shimmering on the surface of the water. It was a very beautiful sight.

"You shouldn't be up." The voice was male and it was clear English was not the owner's first language. But he had obviously spent quite some time learning the language.

He turned to see a native man looking at him. The man was dressed in clothes similar to those Ziio had brought for him.

"Where am I?" His voice was hoarse from lack of use.

"You are in our camp. Kaniehtí:io brought you here, dragged behind a horse."

He chuckled, earning himself a sharp shock of pain through his chest. That sounded like something she would do. It would be the best way for her to carry somebody of his weight long distances. He was assuming it had been as slowly as she dared because his back didn't hurt.

"Where is she?" He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to see her but he would like the option to talk to her at least. He seemed to remember admitting something just before his 'death' and he would not like to face the aftermath just yet.

"Out, hunting. She wished to stay with you but decided she would be better off finding some meat so you could eat when you woke."

That was good, she was gone and that gave him the chance to get to grips with what had happened and what he had told her. He nodded his head and thanked the man for his help before retiring into the warmth of the hut he had woken in. The fire was still roaring well and he carefully dropped himself back onto the ground. No doubt Ziio would come in to see him when she returned from her hunting so, instead of seeking her out, he lay back and stared into the flickering flames.

He had told her that he loved her. Every word he had spoken was the truth but he had honestly thought he was dying. If he had died, it probably would have been cruel to say it like that. She would know that one important piece of information as he lay dead in her arms. What good did admitting his feelings do when he was moments from death? It wasn't the first foolish thing he had ever done in his life and it would not be the last, either. But if it had been a bad idea telling her before his death, had it not turned into a good thing? She knew of his feelings and had brought him to the safety of her home to recover from the near fatal wounds he had sustained from saving her.

That surely had to be a good sign?

Before he knew it there were sounds at the entrance to the hut and the woman in question was striding into the room. He forced himself to his feet ready to greet her but as she approached him he finally noticed the look on her face. She looked far from happy.

Her fist collided with his arm and he yelped in both shock and pain. He furiously rubbed the sore spot, staring at her. "What was that for?!"

"For dying on me!" She punched him again, harder. "And THAT was for telling me you loved me."

She had punched him in the other arm so he dropped his hand to rub the more painful spot. But that left himself open to a final, third blow to the spot where she had punched him first. "And that is for saying you love me just before dying!"

His arms were throbbing now, causing him almost as much pain as the bullet wounds in his torso! He just stared at her in shock and she just stared back at him, fury blazing in her eyes. The next few moments moved so quickly that he could hardly believe they had even happened for several long minutes afterwards.

Her breathing was heightened from her anger and he became acutely aware of how it huffed past her lips. She must have noticed where his eyes were lingering because within an instant she had thrown herself at him. His arms immediately wrapped around her and she clung to him as their lips met in a passionate kiss. All pain fled from his body as it was replaced with her. Nothing but Ziio.

She was the first to pull back, breathing heavily and almost looking embarrassed. But he just smiled and lifted a hand to gently touch her cheek.

"Ziio, I love you." He whispered and pressed his lips to her softly. She didn't pull away, thankfully, just relaxed in his arms.

There was a long period of silence after they pulled apart and he just held her, waiting patiently. It felt good to be able to say it. She sighed softly and rested her head against his chest. He was more than content to just stay like this when he heard her voice. "I love you too."

It's done, folks! I hope you all enjoyed my little frolic with Haytham and Ziio. One day I may do more!