Welcome to Gaia! ::

Katriel snuggled close to Ray at the table so they could share the same plate, piled high with pancakes and butter. She teased him, feeding him bits of pancake and then licking her fingers provocatively.

Katriel could tell he was getting hot and bothered. He wreaked of lust. She liked it. When breakfast was over, she put the dishes in the sink.

"Now, why do you put on a shirt and some shoes, and we'll go shopping," she suggested. "We'll get enough provisions to last a while so we don't have to stop and work anywhere. The less we stop, the less chance someone else will try to identify you."

"I may have to leave you outside with all the other dogs. No shirt, no shoes, no service," Katriel teased as she led him to the general store. There, she handed him a basket and took one for herself. "This is our last supply stop until the West Coast. So get whatever you want. Souvenirs even. We probably won't be back for a long, long time."

Katriel smiled kindly at Ray. He had nothing for so long he didn't know how to pick out anything for himself. She didn't miss the hungry look in his eye every time he looked her way.

"No walking stick or bear bells or snow globe?" she teased. "No snacks for the road or games to keep you busy? Maybe even a book that I could teach you how to read?"

Katriel caught his covetous glaces at a toy mouse. She smiled to herself.

"Well, there will be meal breaks and the evenings, and we won't be experimenting all the time," she replied. "Besides, once you get down the basics, you can practice reading out loud while we're in traffic and you won't need too much help then."

She wandered over to the toy section and found three "easy readers" about the animals in Yellowstone. They were the sort of books children first learned sight-words with. She also picked up a box of crayons, a notebook, and the mouse and put that into her basket. As she wandered out of the toy section, the shiny jewelry caught her eye.

She touched a few pendants carved from colorful stone and admired some earrings that she could never wear because her ears weren't pierced. Shen she saw the heavy chains. Some were silver, and she was careful not to touch those. But some were gold. One heavy red-gold chain caught her eye. It was obviously men's jewelry, and she couldn't help but think that Ray had the exact right skin-tone for this unique piece. It was also large enough that it wouldn't choke him when he shifted into wolf form. It was also on sale.

Impulsively, she flagged down the sales associate and requested the piece be saved for her at the register. Then she turned to Ray.

"If you can't think of anything else, then we'll purchase our things and head back to the camper to stow it," she said casually.

Katriel paid for everything, pointing out the display of mood rings while the cashier discreetly scanned and bagged the mouse. Then she paid, gathered her bags, and they left.

Back in the camper, Katriel brought out the red-gold chain. "I got this for you," she told him as she gently wrapped the chain around his neck and fastened it. It lay just above the collar bone, and the color complimented him perfectly. "I know it's kind of like a collar--and I don't want you to think of it that way," she hurriedly added. "I just want you to have something nice. Something that, if we get separated, you can sell or trade to get back to me so you don't have to beat up any more johns. It's pure gold, so it'll easily break in an emergency." She fingered the chain as she breathed lightly on the back of his neck. "Consider it a token of...how I feel about you. Besides, it looks really good on you."

"Silly goose," Katriel laughed, tweaking his nose affectionately. "I've given you food and clothing, shelter, friendship...intimate companionship...even your freedom. There's an old saying that only things you can loose are the things you can't let go. Don't get too attached or it might cost you more than the chain is worth. I'll still care for you no matter what happens to it. And if I have to, I'll buy you a hundred more chains." She hugged him. "Just remember that you're always mine."

Katriel crushed Ray to her chest in a tight hug. "Stick around and you'll get more where that came from," she replied with a secret smile.

Then she let him go and started putting away all the food and supplies. After that, she tucked away the bag of souvenirs--including the mouse--into a cupboard by the head of the bed.

"Now...crap. I can't think of anything else to do before dinner. Any ideas?" she asked him.