[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

And hate herself she did; when Borealis awoke to find herself in a strong, warm embrace, she shuddered remembering everything - and began to cry again. Furious with herself, she tried to pull away before noticing two very strong, lean arms were wrapped securely around her waist - and there was no way for her to move them without waking their owner!

Fortunately, she didn't need to wait too long; a loud, languid yawn signaled his waking, and suddenly she was afraid; what if he tried to do things with her - things her boss had forced her to do - because she was too weak to fight him off?

Cassus felt her stiffen and tremble against him, and scowled at the back of her head. Removing his arms from around her, he tried to force a calm tone into his voice, remembering how weak she was and how brokenly she had been weeping - it wouldn't help either of them if she bolted.

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"We didn't do anything, and I didn't touch you; I came in to find you thrashing around, and when I woke you, you begged me to stay. I'm not going to hurt you, so try to relax and calm down; I'll be back in a moment." Cassus strode out of the house, glaring angrily at everything; he could guess the accusations she had been planning to hurl at him, and not knowing why it affected him so much only made him angrier - hence why he was storming over to the river to bathe; hopefully it would calm him down.

Borealis sniffled and turned to face the space he had vacated next to her; a space that was rapidly cooling without his body heat to fill it. She hadn't failed to catch the scathing tone his voice had taken, and she felt wretched - he had as good as told her he wouldn't want to touch her, under any circumstances, and she couldn't quite fathom why it hurt her so much; shouldn't she be grateful she was safe from any advances?

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

By the time Cassus returned, he had regained proper control of himself - the cold river water generally helped cool off his emotions - and was hoping he hadn't sounded too angry; he knew he had failed at keeping a level tone, and was scowling at this thought when he walked in to the shack to see her quivering, wide-eyed, next to the wall, holding the blanket in front of her as if it were a shield.

Blinking twice, his frown melted away into puzzlement; why was she looking so afraid? Then he felt his hackles rising, as he turned to the corner to face the very surprised male who was standing there, having just begun to undo the belt holding his trousers up, and was now beginning to quiver himself as he heard Cassus' low growling resounding in the small space.

Borealis gazed between the two males, frightened into silence and too weak to run away. She had been terrified when the male had entered the house, realising as soon as she smelled his scent that he was not Cassus; she had seen his intentions clearly in his eyes, and only panic had allowed her to get to the corner - hoping against hope that Cassus would return quickly, all thoughts of her embarrassment forgotten.

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Cassus was too angry to speak through his growling; how dare this male invade his space; how dare he think to touch what belonged to Cassus - the fact that Borealis wasn't his mate and he was merely nursing her not registering at that moment - and how dare he stand there, unrepentant, sizing him up. He began to shake slightly with anger, before snarling "Get out!" with all the rage he could muster, and the male only took a moment before legging it out of the doorway, tail between his legs.

Borealis shivered as he turned those angry eyes on her, and attempted to crawl even further into the corner, as he strode towards her, before crouching down in front of her to look her in the eyes that she was too terrified to close; eyes that went wider still at the concern in his voice and expression, as he asked her if the male had hurt her.

She couldn't help bursting into tears, or thanking him through her sobs, or reaching forward to cling to him as she cried, or feeling relieved and safe when he picked her up and took her place before sitting her on his lap and holding her until she calmed down. She didn't even think about what he would think of her; in that moment, she needed him, and she accepted that - as much as it would sting later, he was her saviour, and she was more than grateful.

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Eventually her soul-wracking sobs declined into hiccups and sniffles, and reluctantly she let go of Cassus, though she made no move to escape the hold of his arms until he released her. Attempting to stand up, however, was beyond her; he had to lift her as he stood, and carry her back over to the bedding, carefully placing her upon the pile before beginning preparations for food.

Borealis watched him, sniffling occasionally, hating herself for her reactions and her dependency upon him; she hated that she needed him, hated that she was too weak to do anything but let him care for her. It took Cassus' mumbled growling and grumbling to shake her out of her misery over the whole situation.

He couldn't help himself; seeing her so broken and clinging to him had done a number on both his temper and... well, he wasn't sure what; frowning, he began to prepare the food, noticing the dwindling status of his stocks...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"I'm running out of food." It wasn't really directed at her, but Cassus knew the truth of the situation; he needed to go out and forage, and soon. The reality of the situation, however, was that he was reluctant to leave her alone - she wasn't strong enough to defend herself, or run away if the male returned, and it would take Cassus the better part of the day to get to the area of the forest where he needed to go for the choice hunting and foraging... He didn't like it, but it was the only option he could think of, given the circumstances; he raised his eyes to meet hers and declared "you're coming with me".

Borealis gaped at him, as he stared at her with a determined expression. She was afraid, and weak, and couldn't imagine how he was going to take her with him, but she closed her mouth and nodded nonetheless.

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Cassus held in yet another groan; it wasn't that she was heavy, or that he couldn't carry her, it was merely that it made trying to hunt - or carry gathered food - awkward. It meant that they couldn't gather as much as he normally could, and with two eating...

Borealis clung onto his strong shoulders; though she appreciated the situation, she didn't like being carried on his back like a burden, and she certainly didn't like having to enter the rainforest when she couldn't even run away. Like everyone else, she had heard the stories of moonlings and other foul creatures, and she didn't like the idea of coming across some. She shivered at her dark thoughts, and fell silent as she felt Cassus tense beneath her, and followed his line of vision until she spotted the flock of Polly in the tree in front of them...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

It was a wonder how he could fire a slingshot accurately with her on his back, but luck was in his favour - for once. Three polly fell at his hand, landing in a heap on the forest floor, and he quietly collected them and placed them in the bag strapped to her back.

Borealis couldn't help but be impressed by his skill, though she was on high alert all the time - thank goodness, for all of a sudden the background sound dropped to silence, and she quivered into Cassus' back. She felt him tense, then begin to jog through the undergrowth to a cave she recognised but wished she didn't. Unbidden, she let out a whimper, but was quietly shushed by Cassus as they entered, before he gently swung her off his back and into her arms, allowing her to bury her face in his shoulder as he peeked out of the obscured entrance to see what was going on...

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As the shadows passing overhead petered out, and sound once again returned to that part of the Tengel, Cassus sighed and allowed himself to slide down onto the floor where he had been squatting, bringing Borealis to rest beside him. He berated himself for bringing her and putting her in danger, but his house had been entered - their safety compromised - and he couldn't leave her behind. He held her and soothed her as she sobbed, not realising the reason behind her tears.

Borealis couldn't believe he had brought her here, of all places - the Tengel was a vast rainforest, and he could have chosen anywhere, anywhere at all within it's boundaries - but no, here it was, and now she was buried in his chest, cowering in terror, hoping against hope that he would not find them, and that Cassus wouldn't repeat what he had done. She shivered, disgusted at herself; where had all her independence gone?

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Eventually her sobbing ceased, and Cassus helped her onto his back again, explaining that they now needed to gather some herbs and fungi. Suddenly, however, he spotted a cuniflare between the trees, and (being one to never miss an opportunity if he could help it) launched a stone at it, successfully striking it - moments later, he was helping Borealis tuck it's little body into the pouch before they continued through the rainforest.

Though she was still highly strung, Borealis relaxed a little once they left the confines of the cave - although she felt that she could trust this young lucain, she was still cautious (with good reason), and had therefore been surprised when he seemed totally oblivious to how conveniently isolated they had been - not that she was complaining. Eventually, they came to the clearing he wanted, and filled their pouch to the brim with all the things Cassus handed to her, before turning to head for home. She couldn't deny it, she was impressed by how he had managed to carry her, without complaint, and grateful for the comfort he had provided - unaware that he wasn't as oblivious to their proximity as he made her believe!

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"You want to what?" Cassus choked out, nearly inhaling his stew. Surely she hadn't just asked him to bathe with her - she must realise what she was asking! He blushed recalling the scene in the cave - he had almost been overwhelmed with... well, he couldn't call it emotion; it was far too primal for that.

Borealis blushed as he gaped at her; clearly he had misunderstood her intentions; she merely wanted to clean herself - something she had been unable to do for a while, and she was now beginning to feel uncomfortable. "I don't mean - I mean, I need to bathe, and I'm not strong enough to go alone, and... please?" she asked, feeling wretched at being reduced to begging for assistance to bathe.

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He knew it was a bad idea; he could feel it in his bones - but he could also sympathise with how she felt, so he agreed to a compromise: "All right, but you can...um...clean yourself, yeah? I'll be in the water with you, just in case, but I'll turn my back to give you privacy..." He could feel the blush under his fur, but he couldn't very well deny her, however bad an idea it felt like.

For her part, Borealis nodded solemnly; though she would feel a little uncomfortable with him there behind her, she needed to bathe badly, and the urge to be clean was much stronger than her hesitancy. Once they were done, she clambered onto his back, and together they wandered over to a nice quiet place along the river where not too many people went. After all, if he was going to try to give her privacy, it would be pointless to bathe in front of the entire village, right?

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

It felt so good to be clean, she thought, as Borealis scrubbed with the soapvine they had brought. She had slipped off her clothes, and was now in nothing but her undergarments, and the feeling of being clean - after so long - was pure bliss. Suddenly, she slipped as she sidestepped, and cried out - only for two strong arms to grab her gently, as she felt a warm, solid, wet torso against her bare back!

Cassus stood frozen against her in shock; he had spun to catch her instinctively, but the urges making their way through him now were overpowering - the feeling of her bare back against his chest was too much. Growling quietly, possessively, hungrily, he spun her to face him and they locked eyes, still pressed against one another!

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He paused for a moment, as they stared at one another, his chest rumbling against hers, then their walls of self-restraint crumbled and he captured her mouth with his, lifting her slightly to allow her to wrap her legs around his hips (which were still clad in his, now completely soaked, shorts). She kissed him back with fervor, her temperature running deliriously high, her control gone, functioning on an instinct she never knew she had.

All of a sudden, her mind jumped to a similar situation, one where she hadn't been so...agreeable, and her urge faded, replaced by fear. She pulled her mouth away, whimpering, attempting to squirm out of his grasp, to no avail; causing tears to begin to fall as she sobbed, helpless against his embrace.

Cassus felt her pull back, and cursed himself, reigning in his urges with all the self-restraint he had; he pressed her back against the rock, leaning against her with his head on her shoulder, trying desperately to calm himself, afraid if he let her go she would flee.

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[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Shhhhhh;" Cassus soothed, holding her gently yet supporting her weight so she could unwrap her legs if she chose to; "I won't hurt you, but you must stop squirming - just let me calm down and I'll release you." He took deep breaths, in and out, and finally he was able to step back, though he kept his hands on her shoulders - the last thing he needed was her running off in fear and collapsing; she was still weak, after all.

"I'm sorry, I lost control - it won't happen again." Borealis flinched when she heard those words, but breathed a sigh of relief. He had stopped, and though she was scared, she knew she could trust him now - that he wouldn't hurt her, deliberately or otherwise. She mustered her courage and looked up into his contrite face, and felt a weight she hadn't known she carried lift off her shoulders - despite everything, despite what had happened, she was safe.

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