Chapter 11: A sudden disturbance

                When Zena woke with a start, she found that Wolf was also dozing.  She jumped slightly, startled by a sudden sound.  She kept her head against his chest, listening closely to the sound of the house.  The TV had been switched off, probably by Wolf before he fell asleep himself.  She stayed still, allowing herself to notice any slight movements or noises.  She watched the peaceful rise and fall of his chest, warm and inviting her to drift back into sleep.  Her eyes started to get heavy, and she noticed his arm around her back.  She forced herself to stay awake, but slowly starting to lose the internal battle, until… There! A thump!  Small and minute… like a tree falling far away from the house…  Her hand instantly went to  her blade on her hip, the small ornate carving soothing her racing heart.  She stayed in her position, watching the doorway to the room without blinking.  Again, a second thump, this one closer and more clearly defined. She sat rigid suddenly, wrenching his arm from around her with the movement, waking him from his slumber.  He wipes his eyes drowsily and looks up at her now rigid form sitting next to him, hand on a blade ready.  He sits up not nearly as quickly.  He puts his hands up in front of him..

                “whoa.. hey now… sorry… it was an innocent arm.. nothing too personal.. I didn’t mean….” He starts to mumble, turning red in the face as she cuts him off.

                “SHHHT! Shut it!” Zena whisper-yells at him, her eyes still trained on the door.

He looks where she is looking, and tries to figure out what she’s listening for.  And then he hears it too, a small thump, sounding like it is just outside the house.  Hearing this, he looks back to where Zena had been, surprised to find that she had moved soundlessly.  He scans the room for her, and finds her crouched by the window, looking out the bottom of the pane.  He looks at her, puzzled about why she was making such a big deal out of it.  From what he could tell, it sounding like someone was cutting down trees in the park across the street, or Maurly was beating his tail against the door, wanting to be let in.  Zena turns and motions Wolf over, then goes back to looking out the window as he sidles in next to her. 

                “What is it?” He asks quietly, trying to keep his voice low. 

                “I think it’s just… someone in the park… but I’m not sure… it could be that an assassin found my home and is watching the place…” Zena whispers in response, barely audible above his breathing.

                “Which do you think it is though?” He asks, slightly confused about which she thinks it really may be.

                “Probably just someone in the park. If it was someone looking to attack, they would have done so when we were sleeping,” Zena replies, standing and walking back to the couch.  “but you never can be so sure. Sometimes, they wait until you don’t suspect them to be there, and then that’s when they strike. That’s why I always keep  a blade on or nearby. You will too eventually… when I feel safe giving you a blade…”

Wolf sits next to her and pretends to look hurt by her comment, but, guessing it will do him no good, he looks away, hoping she had forgotten his rambled excuse.

                “Tomorrow, we will be back out in the field… Think you are ready for that?” Zena asks, a challenge glittering in her eyes.

                “I hope so…” He answers, chuckling slightly and looking up at her as she stands to go get ready for bed.

                “Well I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, huh?” Zena says, “But for now, sleep is what’s next… so enjoy your rest… because you’ll have to be up by six a. m. tomorrow morning, dressed, and in the arena ready to learn.”

                He protested slightly but nodded, unnoticed by her disappearing figure as she walked across the hall to her room.  He sighed, thought for a second, and then padded to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Reviews

[Meat of Dog]

I liked Wolf's dialog about his arm, and thinking that was the reason for Zena freaking out; It was funny. I like where this is going, and that Wolf is starting to understand her way of life.

other suggestions:
-. “but you never can be so sure. Sometimes..." Capitalize 'but'

[Coyote Poetry]

A interesting chapter. I like how she was concern for her safety. A peaceful chapter. Good to give real life and purpose to the characters. A excellent chapter.
Coyote